A ‘difference maker’
Dear Editor:
RE: Goodwin recognized with Distinguished Service Award, April. 4.
Thank you to the Wellington Advertiser for covering the Catholic Principals Council of Ontario award given to Todd Goodwin of St. Joseph’s School in Fergus.
There are over 1,500 Catholic Schools in Ontario and Mr. Goodwin was one of only two recipients. I have grandchildren who attend St. Joseph’s from JK to Grade 8. I have had the pleasure of watching Mr. Goodwin and the team of people he leads create a unique culture of caring at St. Joseph’s.
Mr. Goodwin is a “difference maker” for many children at a critical stage in their development.
The children who attend St. Joseph’s receive a unique experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Walter O’Rourke,
Fergus
‘Tipping point’
Dear Editor:
RE: Nonsense, April 11.
Neither the federal nor the Ontario Conservative parties have a viable plan to address climate change. I understand that Mr. McCraney may be tired of hearing that they have no plan, but that is probably because so many different sources have been saying it.
Looking at the Conservative Party of Canada’s policy declaration for their plan to address climate change, we find 1) cancel the carbon tax and 2) leave it to the provinces to deal with climate change. Looks like a do-nothing plan to me! Oh, and they want to build more pipelines.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s plan seems only slightly better. They have partnered with the federal government to help steel production become cleaner. They have also tried to encourage EV production in Ontario but have counteracted that by scrapping incentives to buying EVs.
Other actions that have been detrimental to addressing climate change are cancelling over 700 renewable energy contracts and then to make up for the need for more electricity generation pushing natural gas instead (methane leaks make natural gas as bad as coal). They cancelled Cap and Trade just as it was beginning to show some success, will encourage people to drive more by lowering the gas tax, and propose paving over farm and wetlands for Highway 413 rather than improving public transportation. Over all it looks like a negative climate plan.
Canadians are the fifth highest per capita emitters of CO2 (14.2 tonnes/person) in the world, after the U.S., Australia, Oman and Saudi Arabia. China is only 8 tonnes/person and Sweden is 3.6. We need to do our part in reducing emissions.
We are rapidly approaching a tipping point beyond which there may be no return to a world as we now know it.
Ron Moore,
Hillsburgh
Explaining autism
Dear Editor:
As a social service worker, I spend my days in different towns, businesses, and homes with many wonderful people. And, the more of you I meet, the more I am reminded how differently we can experience the places we share (and that is okay).
One of the things I’ve learned about myself in the past two years is that I am autistic. Granted, my autism doesn’t stand out as much as some would expect. Most people wouldn’t guess that I’m neurodiverse until they spend a few days with me. But, here I am! And as an autistic member of our community, I would like to share a bit of myself during World Autism Month.
Let me begin with a place we’re all familiar with: the Grand River. Can you see it flowing along, chock-full of rushing bubbles? That is sometimes what it feels like as words, thoughts and senses rush through me. It is like a million bubbles bursting and popping, often before I can make sense of a single one.
Even in our small and quiet community, there are so many “bubbles” flowing through me and so few times I can capture them. Though, when I do, it’s always a gift.
Now, imagine the cliffs of our Elora Gorge that carve through our town. Those beautiful yet jagged rocks are like the sharp edges I feel when unexpected sounds, voices, lights and even laughter swirl around me. Though I love the people who call out, laugh, turn up their lights and blow bagpipes on sunny afternoons, these sensory surprises can cause me to tighten up for a moment to re-centre.
So keep laughing and lighting up the town, but don’t be surprised if I need to turn away for a moment … I’ll be back as soon as possible.
Finally, consider the new sunrises coming over the fields. Feelings of “newness” bring a strange mix of excitement and unrest whenever people welcome me into their space – a frequent gesture in our community.
For me, returning to the same places, chairs, voices and routines are part of the rhythms that hold me secure. We all need familiar places in our lives, but people like me crave it all the more. So, if I am slow to step out and introduce myself, just know I might be unsure of what the newness might feel like for me.
So, here I am, surrounded by bubbles, edges and newness. These are parts of our community and parts of me. And, I hope this helps us consider the different minds, bodies and experiences who find home in this wonderful place called Wellington County.
Corey Parish,
Fergus
‘Another pipe dream’
Dear Editor:
RE: No free lunch, April 4.
How is $1 billion dollars going to provide “nutritious” meals for five million kids?
If you do the math, this works out to 20 cents per plate based on one meal per student per day.
Another pipe dream!
Jim McClure,
Crieff
‘Generous donations’
Dear Editor:
The Elora Festival Book Sale volunteers thank the community for their many generous donations that promise to make our May 3 to 5 sale at the Elora Curling Club an amazing shopping experience.
We are now finishing our preparations and because we have our storage filled to capacity, the book depot drop-off cupboard on Maiden Lane will be closed until June 1.
Linda Rankine,
Elora
‘A parent is better’
Dear Editor:
It seems my letter regarding daycare has sparked quite varying opinions, which is fine.
However, I still stand by my opinion that the best thing for a child is a parent.
I would like to say thank you to Annette Van Groothheest (‘Worthwhile endeavour,’ April 4) for her wise words. Society in general doesn’t value or encourage stay-at-home parenting, and that is wrong and makes me sad for the children.
To Kathy Veniez (‘Way off the mark,’ April 4), I’m sure you’re a great day care provider, but I still maintain a parent is better.
Sue Mckenzie,
Mapleton
Shredding event secure
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Identity theft is not a joke’: local woman proposes township purchase community document shredder (this letter appeared in the April 4 issue of the Advertiser’s sister publication North Wellington Community News).
Thank you to Wellington North council, who referenced Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington’s (CSGW) annual shredding events. We appreciate you advocating for us and our work. We have been discussing identity theft and how to prevent it for almost a decade.
Identity theft can be prevented in a number of ways, including the professional and secure shredding of documents. We currently hold these events in Mount Forest and Guelph but are open to offering the service at other communities throughout Wellington County.
At our shredding event in Mount Forest, in partnership with Wellington North Fire Service (WNFS)/Township of Wellington North, the documents are shredded on site and customers never have to leave their vehicles. This has been the model since 2015. The event runs from 9am to noon – a direct result of the interest from the community. If there is more demand, we’d gladly stay open longer.
We are proud of our relationship with Wasteco, a professional and secure organization with a solid reputation in document destruction. Anyone who has been to a CSGW shredding event knows it is a well-organized system and there is no opportunity for anyone to look at the documents, never mind photograph them. This simply would not happen.
Wasteco also provides secure destruction certificates to businesses with professional requirements for secure destruction.
As far as a fire hazard, we work closely with WNFS as a host and to ensure we meet their requirements for a safe event. Therefore, the safety of the documents and everyone on site is assured. We thank them for the use of their parking lot for this important community service.
Speaking of fire, some may choose to burn their documents. Burn bans are common now, meaning outdoor burning is not permitted. There is also the risk of a gust of wind blowing a partially incinerated document away from your burn pile. Shredding events are good value for the cost, which, thanks to local sponsors means these funds go directly to CSGW for our work in community safety.
There’s also the matter of the time it takes to burn a quantity of documents even in your fireplace, or even shredding them with a personal shredder, versus the seconds it takes for the massive truck to pulverize the same amount.
We invite Ms. Lippai, and anyone else concerned about identity theft, to join us on Sept. 14 at the Mount Forest shredding event at the WNFS. We are proud to offer this public service to the community and are delighted each year to see the overwhelming support from loyal customers in the Wellington North area.
And we wholeheartedly agree, identity theft is not a joke.
Sarah Bowers-Peter,
Program coordinator,
Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington
Two thumbs up?
Dear Editor:
With Earth Day coming up soon I suggest everyone watch Climate the Movie which is free on the internet.
Once you have watched through to the end you will see that there is nothing to fear except the green scammers.
President Xi over in China is laughing his head off and raking in the dollars selling the west windmills and solar panels that last only 20 years and lithium batteries even less. Do we really think he believes in “crisis” climate change caused by CO2? The proof is in the pudding; he is building a new coal fired power plant every week.
Closer to home, do we really think our political parties believe in “crisis” climate change? No, since they are flying all over the country spewing CO2 as they impose taxes and regulations that ruin our lives but not theirs.
The Earth has been warming since the little ice age caused by the sun. Don’t let anyone eclipse that fact.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
*Editor’s note: The movie mentioned in this letter repeats many debunked and misleading climate change denial claims.
Carbon pricing works
Dear Editor:
With the first of four quarterly Canada Carbon Rebates (CCR) coming into your bank account on April 15, I thought it would be a good time to explain how the carbon rebate works.
Canada’s carbon pricing system just makes sense. We know that the wealthiest 10% of Canadians are responsible for a quarter of all emissions. So, when we collect the price on pollution, the wealthiest Canadians receive the least, and the rest of Canadians, eight out of 10, receive more than they pay through the CCR. This year, the average Ontario household will receive $1,124 and will only pay $869 in direct and indirect pollution pricing costs.
Thanks to pollution pricing, Canada is set to hit its emission targets for the first time in history. It has also helped Canada have the strongest emissions reduction performance among G7 nations over the past two years.
As the impacts of climate change continue to accelerate and continue to cost Canadians billions in damages every year, Canada needs to have a real path to a carbon neutral future.
Last year, we had the worst forest fire season on record. In Ontario alone, the smoke from the forest fires in Quebec, over a four-day span June 4 to 8, cost Ontario taxpayers an estimated $1.28 billion in health care expenses. Fighting the actual 700 forest fires cost Ontario taxpayers over $237 million.
What these numbers tell us is that the effects of climate change cost Canadians more than the adaption measures we’ve put in place. The Climate Institute of Canada estimates that for every $1 spent today, Canadians will save $13 to $15 dollars down the line in climate-related expenses.
A price on pollution is also the most economically effective way to fight climate change. Canada’s carbon pricing system is recognized by experts and institutions around the world – including the International Monetary Fund and Nobel Laureates – as being a model for other countries to follow. That’s why 335 economists from every major university in Canada have signed an open letter defending our carbon pricing system.
So, when Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives say “axe the tax” who are they really fighting for?
Research from the University of Calgary shows the Conservative plan to cut the Carbon Price will only benefit less than 1% of Canadians – those who make over $250,000 a year – while hurting all other Canadians
As we head into another fire season, we are reminded every day that doing nothing to fight climate change is not an option.
We all have a role to play to reduce our use of fossil fuels, and the harmful emissions that are having a real impact on all life on the planet.
Lloyd Longfield,
MP for Guelph
‘HEARTS’ for Haiti
Dear Editor:
The challenges facing the people of Haiti are much in the news.
The people of Centre Wellington have a long-standing commitment to a group of schools in the Cap-Haitien region of Haiti.
Through a program called HEARTS – Haitians Educated and Ready to Serve – St. Andrew’s Church in Fergus, with the participation of many people in Centre Wellington, supports four schools in Haiti which provide free education to about 1,700 students.
The funds raised help pay teachers’ salaries, provide school supplies, and allow students to get a meal while at school. We are thankful to the Centre Wellington community for their support.
On April 21, Pastor Vilmer Paul, principal of one of the schools in the HEARTS cluster, will be speaking at St. Andrew’s Church in Fergus at both the 9am and 11am worship gatherings. A reception will follow each worship time so that people can meet informally with Pastor Vilmer.
All are welcome to join in welcoming Pastor Vilmer to Centre Wellington and to learn what is happening in Haiti.
Peter Bush,
Fergus